Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-13

.a,,. tnouyn 81 massive, was as nexloie az
cane, and practically untTeakable: but, to
make assurance double sure, it was whipped
! round at intervals OF a few inches with copper
wire-all the parts where the hand gripe
being thus treated Just above where. the
haft entered the bead We're scored a number
Of little hicks. each nick representing a man
| killed in battle with the weapon The Ak it.
I self was made of the most beautiful steel, and
apparently of European manufacture, though
umslopogeas did not know where it came
from, having taken il from the hand of a
| chief he mad killed in battle many years be
| fore. IT was not very heavy, the head weigh
! ing two and a half pounds, as nearly as |
could judge. The cutting part was slightly
concave III shape-not convex, as is generally
! the case with savage battleaxes-and sbarp
as a razor, measuring five and three quarter
| inches across the widest part From the back
| Of the ak sprang stout spike four inches
| long, for the las: two of which il was hollow
and shapcd like leather punch, with an
opening for anything forced into the hollow
at the punch END 10 be pushed out above-in
fact, in this respect it exactly resembled n
butchers poleaX. 1t was with this punch
end. as we afterwari discovered, that I'M
slopogaas usually struck when fighting, driv-
ing n neat round hole IN his adversary's skull,
and only using the broad, cutting edge for
circular sweep, or sometimes in n melee.
think he considered the punch a neater and
more sportsm9nlike tool, and it was for his
habit of pecking at his enemy with it that he
got his name of "WoodpeCker.r Certainly i'm
his hands it was terribly efficient one
Such was Umslopogaas' AK, lnkosi- -kaas.
the most remarkable and fatal hand to hand
weapon that l ever saw, and one that he
cherished as much as his own life 1t
scarcely ever left his hand except when he
was eating, and then he always sat with It
under his leg
Just as l returned his ak to Umslopogaas
Miss Flossie came up and took ME off to see
her collection Of flowers. African liliums and
blooming shrubs, some of which are very
beautiful, many of the varieties being quite
unknown TO me, and also, l believe, to
botanical science. | asked her if she had
ever seen or heard Of the Goya lily, which
central African explorers have told me they
have occasionally met with, and whose won
derful loveliness has filled them with astonish-
ment. This lily, which the natives say
blooms only once in ten years, flourishes in
the most arid soil.
that she knew the flower well. and had tried
TO grow it in her garden, but without sue
cess, adding, however, that as it should be in
bloom at this time of year, she thought that
she could procure me a specimen.
After that fell to asking her if she was
not lonely up here among all these savage
people, and without any companions of her
own age
1x ch Eo,l ,,,l,
as happy us the day is long, and besides have
my own companions
And are you never afraid among all these
wild menF'
Afraid. Oh, no! they never interfere
with me- l think they believe that l am
.Ngai'" (of the Divinity. because am 50
white and have fair hair And look here
and diving her little hand into the bodice Of
her dress she produced a double barreled,
nickel plated Derringer. Il always carry
that loaded, and if anybody tried to touch
me should shoot him Once shot a leopard
that jumped upon my donkey as was riding
along. 1t frightened me very much, but
shot it III the ear and it fell dead, and have
its skin upon my bed
Just then the spies whom our host had sent
out in the morning to find out if there were
any traces of our Nasal friends about re-
turned, and reported that the country had
been secured for fifteen miles round without
a single Elmoran being seen, and that they
believed that those gentry had given up the
pursuit and returned whence they came. Mr.
Mackenzie gave n sigh of relief when he heard
this. and So indeed did We, for we had hsd
quite enough of the Nasal to last us for some
time. Indeed. the general opinion was, that
finding we had reached the mission station in
safety, they had, knowing its strength, given
up the pursuit OF US bad job How i'll
Judged that view was the sequel will show
After the spies had gos'. and Mrs. Mac
kenzie and Flossie had retired for night,
Alphonse, the little Frenchman, came out,
and Sir Henry. who is a very good French
scholar, got him 70 tell us how he came to
visit Central Africa, which he did in a most
extraordinary lingo. that for the most part
shall not attempt TO reproduce.
MY grandfather" lie began, was a soldier
Of the guard, and served under Napoleon
He was III the retreat from Moscow, and
lived for ten days on his own lesgings and a
pair he stole from a comrade. He used to
get drunk-he died diunl,, and l remember
playing at drums on his coffin. Ny father
Here We suggested that he might skip his
ancestry and come TO the point.
'Bien, messieurs!" replied this comical lit
tie man, with polite bow. IL did only wish
to demonstrate that the military principle is
not hereditary. Ny grandfather WAS a splen-
did man six feet two high broad in propor-
ton, a sSalower of fire ami CATERS. Also hs
was remarkable for his mustache To me
there remains the mustacne and-nothins
more
81 am, messieurs, a cook, and | was born
NJ Msrseilles. In that dear town spent my
happy youth. For wears and years l
washed the dishes at the Hotel Continental.
All, those were golden days. and he sighed.
.! am a Frenchman. Need / say, messieuis,
that admire beauty Nay, | adore the fair.
Messieurs, we admire all the roses III n gar
den, but we pluck one. pluckei one, and
alas, messieurs, it pricked my finger. She
was a chambermaid, her name Annette, her
figure ravishing, her face all angels, her
heart-alas, meSSieurs, that l should have TO
own it-black and slippery patent leather
boot l loved to desperation, | adorei her to
despair. She transported me-in every sense;
she inspired ME. Never have cooked as
cooked for had been promoted at the hoteD
when Annette, my adored Annette, smiled on
me. Never"-and here lis manly voice broke
into n sob-''never shall cook 50 well again"
Here be melted into tears.
~NEr-zC~
G
- A-~
S>sa M N<E
A EIHSzT(A:k.